Tomorrow, I'll be heading over to Celebrate West Hartford to talk to anybody who wants to learn about electric vehicle ownership. Having driven over 10,000 miles these first 6 months of ownership, I was a reluctant and frankly a little worried buyer, when a sudden job role change had us shopping. The 2 years of reading FUD since I had laid down a deposit had gotten to me. Once my wife joined me in December of 2018 to test drive a Model 3, those worries dissolved. We're now driving into the future together, and feel rather lucky to be driving the safest car ever tested, the second most efficient car.

This car has proven itself to our family already. Our household's electric bill has only gone up roughly 20%, costing us about a third less than gasoline.

One of my many drives from Wethersfield to Manhattan, those 119 miles cost just $4.97 in electricity

This car also brings a smile to my face every time I get a chance to drive it, and it sure is fun to share the joy with others. The whole experience, including minor challenges, are all explained in extreme detail in my ownership blog post:

If just one person considers buying an electric vehicle sooner than they would have had we not met, then I consider those 2 hours of a (finally) sunny Saturday well spent. A solid investment in making a difference. No matter where you live in this world, we all cohabitate the same planet.

Today, I stopped at my local Stop & Shop supermarket and overheard a curmudgeon telling some employees that he'd never drive in a self-driving car, at least not for 20 or more years. He demonized it, and the Tesla brand along with it. Sadly, I said nothing. It just didn't seem right to get into it, there in the dairy aisle, with nobody was likely to "win" that argument. This was in stark contrast to the reaction I got another day, when a young employee retrieving shopping carts from another Stop & Shop spotted me loading groceries into my Model 3. He was incredibly enthusiastic, and really appreciated me showing him the interior. I patiently answered all his questions. He absolutely lit up with joy, and proclaimed that he aspired to one day own his own Tesla. I have a soft spot for supermarket workers, perhaps because my first real job at age 16 was bagging groceries and retrieving carts from extremely hot parking lots.

Try not to equate self-driving with all electric vehicles. They're not necessarily one in the same. You can currently buy a Model 3 for $39,900 or lease one for $429/mo and skip the optional Full Self Driving, and totally dig the ownership experience while manually driving around like you always have. You can actually upgrade later, since the hardware is all there regardless. You'll still start each day with a full "tank" of electrons, ready for your daily driving in rain or snow. For longer road-trips, the Google-Maps based navigation removes range anxiety by doing all the work for you. Yes, it lets you know exactly which Supercharger stop to use and exactly how long you'll be there, where you can also use nearby facilities and get some food. The large display even uses current charging-stall availability data to avoid any surprises. My wife and I headed mid-Friday for a ~1,000 mile road trip to Pittsburgh in the dead of winter, had a pleasant time with family, and felt great back at work at home on Monday. Those en route breaks for lunch and dinner were needed anyway.

Tesla's referral program announced Mar 21 2019.

If you're on the fence about Tesla at all, I encourage you to find a way to make a Model 3 test drive happen. It will likely clarify your thinking, avoiding relying on second hand press stories that aren't written by owners. Then you can decide the austere interior (we love elegant simplicity) and style just aren't your taste, despite the fantastic driving experience. At least you've opened your mind to shopping for EVs in the future, from whichever company eventually comes up with a viable alternatives. Spurring competition has been part of Tesla's mission all along:

Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.

Build sports car
Use that money to build an affordable car
Use that money to build an even more affordable car
While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options
Don't tell anyone.

I'll be parked in front of Harry's, right across from West Hartford Town Hall, from 11am to 1pm on Saturday, June 1 2019. There will be other EV owners there with us.

Special thanks to:

1) - Philip Huerter@Sanguine76
He's an engineer, inventor, and renewable energy advocate. A local who pulled this event together after his dreams of having a big turn-out at Drive Electric Earth Day got washed away earlier this year. It seems our weather may be getting more extreme every year, for some reason.

2) - Jared Schlar@jaredschlar
He's a crypto analyst, philanthropist, and founder of StrategiesSEO.com who also helped us out at this event, including handling many of the questions the public had about EVs and the environment.

evangelists for electric vehicle expansion in Connecticut
The Westport Electric Car Club is now the EV Club of CT whose statewide mission it is to evangelize for electric vehicles (EVs) and to promote EV-friendly public policy for the benefit of all. The club is urgently working to help transition Connecticut to a carbon-free economy via electrification of our transportation system through awareness, education and advocacy. The transportation sector is responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in the state and switching to electric vehicles is key to achieving rapid and deep reductions.

FLO Home is a residential Level 2 charging station designed to make your life easier. Smart and universally compatible, it is recognized for its absolute durability, the quality of its craftsmanship and its user-friendliness.

I've been thinking about self-driving cars for over 3 decades now, and it's amazing to see the technology first-hand. It's also incredibly far it's come in just these past 6 months, via free software updates. Teslas just keep getting better.

This is not a sponsored post. I do not own any stock in Tesla, nor do I receive any referral money from the sale of any Tesla vehicle. I'm simply an enthusiastic tech nerd who is currently experiencing some serious joy driving our family's new Model 3 Long Range All Wheel Drive.

Unlike the G70, which got nearly everything right its first time out, the Model 3 represents a much more ambitious and polarizing effort. Nicknamed "a spaceship on wheels" by Reynolds, the Model 3's boundary-pushing technology was to be expected. But it was the revolutionary driving experience that pushed it over the top.

Phil Huerter - It is great to be a part of something this big... what an excellent team we had, with the full support of ITAP, and all gunning to achieve this goal of a distance record that would help humanity say... Wow! Electric cars can drive 3 x's further than gas, be far less expensive to own and operate, and have a higher performance? Everyone should have the "EV grin".

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